Eddie Vedder, left, of Pearl Jam laughs with Twins first base coach before Saturday’s game against the Mariners at Safeco Field in Seatle, WA, on Saturday, August 18, 2012. Vedder was a guest of Twins broadcaster and former major league player Ron Coomer.

Raised in Chicago, Vedder is a longtime Cubs fan. He has gotten to know the Twins through team broadcaster Ron Coomer, whom he met at a baseball fantasy camp.

When the Twins were in town last August, Vedder was in the dugout with them during batting practice. This time, he kept a lower profile and was careful not to take up too much of their time before this 4-0 win over the Mariners.

“He said he didn’t want to be a distraction,” Morneau said. “Just came in and said hi to the guys. Looking forward to seeing him this winter (on Pearl Jam’s concert tour) when we have some time off. He comes to watch what we do. We have a lot of respect for what he does, and I think he has an appreciation for what we do.”

In early April, when the Twins were in Kansas City, Vedder joined them at the team hotel to watch the NCAA men’s basketball final between Louisville and Michigan. That gathering turned into an impromptu jam session in which Vedder traded guitar licks with Twins reliever Jared Burton and conducted a sing-along with a handful of awestruck players.

“You get to do some pretty cool things in this game,” Morneau said. “To meet one of the biggest rock stars in the world and get to know he’s a really down-to-earth, pretty humble guy who loves sports, it’s cool to be able to associate with people like that.”

Even Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, more of a country music guy, had to admit Vedder is growing on him.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in Sports

The Vikings reportedly will open next season where the last one ended in bitter disappointment. Minnesota will play at Philadelphia in the NFL opener on Thursday, Sept. 6, according to report Monday by sportscaster Howard Eskin, an Eagles sideline reporter. The Vikings lost 38-7 at Philadelphia in January's NFC Championship Game. The Eagles went on to win Super Bowl LII...

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins second baseman Brian Dozier always makes an effort to bond with his keystone partner at shortstop. Since the second half of 2016, that has been young Jorge Polanco. So it was with great sadness that Dozier was forced to react Monday morning to news of Polanco’s 80-game steroid suspension, handed down on Sunday by Major...

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins third baseman Miguel Sano has known Jorge Polanco since they were 12-year-old baseball prodigies in the famed town of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. So it was an emotional conversation on Sunday evening between the two teammates, friends for half their young lives, after Major League Baseball announced an 80-game steroid suspension...

EUGENE, Ore. — Sabrina Ionescu had 29 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the second-seeded Oregon Ducks advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 101-73 victory over No. 10 Minnesota in the second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament on Sunday night. It was the 11th straight victory for the Ducks, who are headed to the round of...

Since signing with the Timberwolves, Derrick Rose has insisted he still has something left in his 29-year-old legs. He proved as much Sunday night. After three underwhelming showings with the Wolves, Rose provided a spark for Minnesota during a 129-120 loss to Houston at Target Center. "Obviously, he's rejuvenated," Jimmy Butler said before the game. "I see him out there...

One word succinctly describes what’s transpired so far in the NCAA Tournament: Madness. But even that’s probably underselling it. A comeback for the ages by Nevada. An entire region left without a Top 4 seed in the Sweet 16 for the first time in tourney history. The 16-seed winner UMBC, falling short in its attempt to extend its historic run...